The British Newspaper Archive is full of grisly stories about the unusual and the unexplained. We’ve selected some of the oddest tales, including a description of a monster with the head of a sea lion and a rumour that Germany was turning dead soldiers into explosives during the First World War. Let us know if you’ve found a story to rival these. You can comment below or post on our Facebook page. 1) 1877: A bizarre 70-foot beast A very strange creature …
Victorian
The first person to be arrested and charged for driving under the influence of alcohol was George Smith, a London cabdriver. Charged with drunk driving on 10 September 1897 This article from the Morning Post reported that at about 00:45 on Friday 10 September 1897, Smith’s vehicle ‘swerved from one side of the road to the other, and ran across the footway into 165 New Bond Street’. George Smith admitted that he’d had ‘two or three glasses of beer’ and …
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Michelle Higgs, author of A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England, has uncovered lots of fascinating stories by searching our historical newspapers. She got in touch to tell us about Lady Florence Harberton and her fight for Victorian women’s freedom to wear practical clothing. ************** It might surprise you to know that until the 1870s, it was rare to see unaccompanied middle or upper-class women walking in the streets. This was because they ran the risk of being mistaken …
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If you’ve ever explored the Illustrated Police News at The British Newspaper Archive, you’ll know it’s full of fantastically melodramatic images and stories. We think we may have come across our favourite illustration so far. Victorian ladies attacked by an octopus This image graced the front page of the Illustrated Police News on Saturday 17 October 1896. It depicts four Victorian ladies attempting to flee from the sweetest-looking octopus we’ve ever seen. Illustrated Police News – Saturday 17 October 1896 …
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Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at The British Newspaper Archive? We sat down with Product Director Ian Tester to find out who he is and what he does. What does your job involve? I’m responsible for growing the business in all its myriad forms. My role covers marketing, building a better product, tweaking the pricing, choosing newspapers that we think will be of most interest and generally keeping everything running smoothly. Less excitingly, it also involves balancing …
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You could win one of these fascinating history books on our Facebook page this week: How to enter Comment on our Facebook post to let us know which book you’d like to win before 23:59 (GMT) on Monday 23 June 2014. We’ll contact three lucky winners the following day. What you could win Alex Daley, Fighting Men of London: Voices from Inside the Ropes Gill Hoffs, The Sinking of RMS Tayleur: The Lost Story of the Victorian …
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Michelle Higgs, author of A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England, got in touch to share this shocking story she found in The British Newspaper Archive. What have you found in the newspapers? Let us know by emailing press@britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk ************** Victorian Britain was a hazardous place to live, and not just because there was a potential accident around every corner. The trading standards and food hygiene we take for granted today simply didn’t exist, so shoppers often risked illness or even …